Robert Woodcock

(1690-1728)

English musician. A clerk in the Admiralty with a keen interest in ships, and a musician. Woodcock was by the age of 30 known to have been painting in oils. He admired the van de Veldes and made a number of copies of their work. His close parallels with the painter van de Velde indicate that he must have known him and seen his work at first hand. At the time of his death Woodcock had not entirely escaped his influence to develop a distinctive style of his own. The Willem van de Veldes, father and son, came to England in 1672-73. Known as a composer of recorder/oboe music.